Dear Friends,

Shalom! Greetings from Sumba. This past week we once again delivered rice, mung beans and cooking oil to the people in the villages. The beneficiaries were very grateful. Unfortunately, in one of the four villages the delivery truck arrived seven hours late. Have you ever waited seven hours for dinner? It certainly puts our small irritations in perspective. 

The Village of Napu: 

When the food delivery trucks didn’t arrive on time, distribution team members attempted to reach the suppliers by phone. Unfortunately, phone reception is nearly non-existent in some of these remote villages. Our team was directed to drive back to a particular tree, called “Signal Valley”, to find adequate reception to make a call. 

During this period of waiting, Margot was all alone with nearly 50 people. Margot was reminded that Jesus shared about God’s great love for those who come to Him. Most of the people here are Maripu, a religion of animism and ancestry worship. With the help of a Christian man who translated, Margot shared about God’s love for them through Jesus Christ. Then she asked those who want to pray with her to stand up, and all stood up! Frail elders and young adults waited patiently; imagine the great excitement later when the rice came at last.  

The village of Mbatapuhu:

The commodities are unloaded and ready for distribution. There are 3,478 individuals in the project. Those in Mbtapuhu receive 10kg of rice and share 8 kg of mung beans and 2 liters of cooking oil with a larger group of 5 – 8 persons. Local volunteers are trained to administer the food distribution.

The village of Wunga:

The dry season has started. Plants begin to wither and the lush green disappears. In Canada we usually go up a mountain for a hike, but to get to the spring in Wunga we have to go down the ravine. Treacherous after rain, this 150m climb down is outright dangerous. Still, this is the only traditional source of water in the village now that the well has dried up. It is the task of women to bring water from the spring, carrying it in containers on their heads. After 45 minutes we came down to the spring where we found very little water. Since this spring did not provide sufficient water, the village had stopped using it. Now the village relies on water that is delivered by truck from another charitable organization. 

Remember the fruits from the first newsletter? This is what they look like peeled. Clockwise they are:

1. (mini) pineapple (from Lombok, another of Indonesia’s 1,000+ islands), 

2. a white root (good for skin lotions, true), 

3. banana (this is a good one),

4. anonak (fruta de conte in Brazil, with seeds that apparently serve as insecticide), 

5. the brown little fruit is the rambutan (something like lychee), 

6. kedong-dong (local, somewhat like a mango/peach taste on the outside, the inside has a prickly pit), 

7. salak (with peel this is the hedgehog looking fruit). Enjoy!

The challenge is to clean the fruits and peel them without contaminating the inside. Especially the pineapple with all the openings was difficult to clean. In the end there was not really anything leftover. 

Praise Points:

• For a good food distribution this past week! Even with the delay of mung beans for some villages, 3,531 people were served to alleviate hunger;

• Committed team members who stayed the extra seven hours, some working a 14 hour day in the heat.

• That the balance of the mung beans will arrive soon and be distributed quickly;                                                                

• That the people will be set free from the bondage to the ancestor spirits;

• For good communication and cooperation with the local partner on a daily basis;                                                    

• For continued good health of the team;                                                                

• For extension of our visa, for which we have to travel to Bali.